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Fire in the Blood was commissioned by Dr Stephen Cobb for the 120th anniversary of the International Staff Band of the Salvation Army. The piece was composed for the celebration concert where the ISB were joined by several other staff bands from around the world to perform independently to a sell-out capacity crowd at Britain’s most famous concert hall The Royal Albert Hall. Fire in the Blood received its world premier at the ‘ISB 120’ concert at the Royal Albert Hall on June 4th 2011.With this piece I wanted to acknowledge music that had an impact on me through my Salvation Army upbringing. When thinking of a title for this piece I had no hesitation than to reflect and re-word the Salvation Army’s motto under their famous crest ‘Blood and Fire’.When composing Fire in the Blood I wanted to use three songs of worship that have been prevalent in the Salvation Army’s services over a number of years. Opening with Richard Phillips’ setting of Psalm 95, ‘Sing for Joy’, the music is vibrant and full of energy, I wanted to capture the spirit of the well known words of Scripture. The music then moves into a more reflective section that includes Howard Davies’ emotive song melody ‘Lord, you know that we love you’ and Laurie Klein’s worship song ‘I love you Lord’.A re-statement of the opening Psalm setting follows and this, in turn, leads into a dramatic and powerful finale that combines two pivotal statements drawn from the slower, reflective section: I love you lord, and I lift my voice to worship you, O my soul rejoice and Lord, you know that we love you with a final flourish from Psalm 95: Come let us sing joy to the Lord!Paul Lovatt-Cooper

James Curnow was inspired to compose this work after reading 'Marching to Glory', a history of The Salvation Army in the USA. The writer of the book, Dr. Edward H. McKinley, was a colleague of Curnow on the faculty of Asbury College and a member of The Salvation Army Student Fellowship Band. The work was written for this band and premiered by them at the Centennial National Congress in 1980 which was held at Asbury College. Curnow has endeavoured to capture the spirit of early day Salvationists as they gave themselves completely to the great salvation war. Three songs support the three-part structure; 1) Stand like the brave 2) In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust 3) Rescue the perishing.

James Curnow was inspired to compose this work after reading 'Marching to Glory', a history of The Salvation Army in the USA. The writer of the book, Dr. Edward H. McKinley, was a colleague of Curnow on the faculty of Asbury College and a member of The Salvation Army Student Fellowship Band. The work was written for this band and premiered by them at the Centennial National Congress in 1980 which was held at Asbury College. Curnow has endeavoured to capture the spirit of early day Salvationists as they gave themselves completely to the great salvation war. Three songs support the three-part structure; 1) Stand like the brave 2) In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust 3) Rescue the perishing.

This march was awarded first prize in the 1930 American Golden Jubilee National Music Competition and was published the same year in the first edition of the American Festival Series. It was subsequently re-printed in the General Series of 1984. Soderstrom's imaginative use of syncopation and chromatic harmony brought a new, American sound to the Salvation Army march. For example, he took the old Salvation Army fight song Hark, hark my soul written and changes its metre from 6/8 to 4/4 while also syncopating it!

This march was awarded first prize in the 1930 American Golden Jubilee National Music Competition and was published the same year in the first edition of the American Festival Series. It was subsequently re-printed in the General Series of 1984. Soderstrom's imaginative use of syncopation and chromatic harmony brought a new, American sound to the Salvation Army march. For example, he took the old Salvation Army fight song Hark, hark my soul written and changes its metre from 6/8 to 4/4 while also syncopating it!

Prior to becoming a Salvation Army officer, Dean Goffin was the first Salvationist composer to gain a degree in music composition. This march was originally written for the 4th Brigade Band of the New Zealand Armed Forces (which Goffin conducted during World War Two) and called Bel Hamid before being adapted for Salvation Army use. The march contains the gospel song Ring the bells of heaven (...pealing forth the anthem of the free).

Prior to becoming a Salvation Army officer, Dean Goffin was the first Salvationist composer to gain a degree in music composition. This march was originally written for the 4th Brigade Band of the New Zealand Armed Forces (which Goffin conducted during World War Two) and called Bel Hamid before being adapted for Salvation Army use. The march contains the gospel song Ring the bells of heaven (...pealing forth the anthem of the free).

The traditional Welsh tune of Crugybar is most commonly associated with words by Howell Elvet Lewis which appear in the Baptist Hymn Book of 1962; 'The light of the morning is breaking, the shadows are passing away'. The Salvation Army Song Book of 1986 lists two further hymns that can be sung to the tune; 'I stand all bewildered with wonder and gaze on the ocean of love' ( W F Crafts) and 'When Jesus from Calvary called me, unfolding its meaning to me' (Will J Brand). This arrangement was made for Martyn Bryant, the long-serving principal cornetist of Bristol Easton Band of The Salvation Army.

The traditional Welsh tune of Crugybar is most commonly associated with words by Howell Elvet Lewis which appear in the Baptist Hymn Book of 1962; 'The light of the morning is breaking, the shadows are passing away'. The Salvation Army Song Book of 1986 lists two further hymns that can be sung to the tune; 'I stand all bewildered with wonder and gaze on the ocean of love' ( W F Crafts) and 'When Jesus from Calvary called me, unfolding its meaning to me' (Will J Brand). This arrangement was made for Martyn Bryant, the long-serving principal cornetist of Bristol Easton Band of The Salvation Army.

Written for the centenary of Salvation Army bands in 1978, On Ratcliff Highway was premiered by The International Staff Band (and simultaneously by Melbourne Staff Band in another venue). It was inspired by a sketch on the front page of a copy of The War Cry from 1886 which depicted the Whitechapel Salvation Army band marching through the notorious highway, surrounded by crowds, with the masts of ships seen beyond the East London slums.